Lazio President Claudio Lotito has insisted that the club have no intention of selling Ciro Immobile in the near future, despite recent reports that the Biancocelesti skipper is set to consider offers from Saudi Arabia in January.
Immobile had reportedly been subject of interest from Saudi Pro League sides Al-Shabaab and Al-Wehda in the summer for a deal thought to be worth €35m plus bonuses over a two-year contract.
And at 33 years of age and a slightly inconsistent season by his usual standards last time out, La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote on Monday that a move to the Middle East certainly wasn’t out of the question.
However, Immobile is contracted to Lazio until the summer of 2026 and Lotito, writing in Tuesday’s print edition of Il Messaggero, claims that the club do not want to let any players leave at present.
“I don’t know anything about (offers from) Saudi Arabia, no one has ever asked me anything and I haven’t had the slightest inkling of possible interest. We’ve never felt like there has been a problem with Ciro,” Lotito wrote, as reported by Calciomercato.com.
He continued: “Immobile has a contract until 2026 and the club has no interest in him leaving. There is also a nice testimony from Castellanos about him, so there is no tension there. Ciro treats him like a son.
“There is little to evaluate if there are no offers or requests. If he had the slightest possibility of going, he definitely hasn’t informed us. We don’t want to sell anyone.”
If you sell him now you should get enough to buy a decent Roman porchetta panino – you’ll get a good one near Termini. If you wait any longer you’ll be eating trippa!